I hope you all don't mind me getting vulnerable and talking about how I've actually been feeling lately. I'm just glad that I have all of these beautiful puzzles to do when I do need to take a break from filming and editing. If you want to get any of them yourself, make sure to open the description for all of the links ❤
Take as long a brake as you need! Wish I'd done that before I was severely burned out. If you don't stop in time it can take so many years to come back - it's not just worth it. Take care, we'll still be here when you come back.
You have nothing to be feeling guilty about. I’ve been enjoying your treasure trove of a TH-cam channel and I am so grateful for all the work you put in. You are under no obligation to keep to any schedule just to keep your audience entertained. You are your own person and we love you.
As someone with a Burnout Badge, I want to say that we’re always rooting for you and we hope you see more success and happiness in life than you already have.
Dear Karen, i believe that you love puzzles and making videos and we love watching them. But! Your happiness and well-being should always come first. As i especially love your bubbly and positiv personality, i would really be worried if you would overwork for the sake of your videos. Please take care, i can say at least for myself that i ll be here, when you want to publish your wonderful videos. But if you need recovery or a break, i hope that you will always put yourself first ❤️❤️❤️
So good to see that you're taking time off! I have the feeling that currently there a lot of people secretly or not-so-secretly burnt-out. You (and everyone else) being vulnerable about that hopefully also helps other people reflect on their lives. It's best to slow down before our body demands us to stop :)
Part of what caused me to be ok doing this is the My Favorite Murder hosts talking about why they would take a month-long break in the summer, so I hope I can continue that chain moving forward.
I've been through burnout three or four times as an independent architect (now a 22 year career) and yes, in jigsaw-puzzles. The last time was after the World Jigsaw Championship 2022, I just couldn't touch a piece after this event, partially due to a bad result at the individual competition. Nearly 20 tournaments in a year made this, too, and of course, a huge amount of videos for my TH-cam channel and leading a Spanish puzzle magazine. Both things nearly are a second job! I understand completely your decision and if you want to take a month or more rest, you can do what you want! Talking about the haters, I've not seen any bad comments here (sure you deleted them before), but haters are gonna happen everytime, with everyone. They are just poor persons that just envy people that have achieved something good.
Vacations are a must! And I think you will find that the audience is all here when you get back. People like me are still finding your videos and have plenty to watch.
Burnout is so pervasive but under-acknowledged and treated as a moral failure rather than a hazard of working so intensely. Take care of yourself and feel better. And please enjoy your vacation! take the time to recharge properly.
I just got into watching your videos a few weeks back and it really has reignited my love for puzzles. There was a big chunk of my life where I just didn't have the time or space or money to do puzzles but now that I can I'm really enjoying it again. Thank you for doing this
Vacation! I'm so glad you are taking a break. As we say in my family "put your own mask on first ", which we got from the airlines. You provide so much fun and comfort, please get some for yourself. Not sure I would have made it thru the pandemic (so far) without you (and puzzling). 💗
So funny that you are the opposite of me. I have been diamond painting for 4 years now and a total of 60 pieces. I do jigsaw puzzles to take a break from them. I got my mom hooked on them too. I never did a DAC until this year when my mom gifted me a few of hers. I can see why they are very name brand in the diamond painting industry ( I buy cheap off aliexpress or dollar stores or make my own). Glad you are taking a much needed 'You' time. My husband is the same way with his business and I had to force a vacation on him in August too. I will continue to watch when you return. No worries.
Welcome to Dimond painting and DAC Karen! I've been DPing since late 2020 and I'm up to almost 90 canvases stashed to be done. It's the absolute best hobby and I was so excited when I saw they were your sponsor
Beautiful puzzles! Thank you for sharing them. We all go through burnout at some point. Your idea to recoup is right on. Take a long vacation, don't fret about tasks that will still be there when you get back. Looking forward to seeing you in October or thereabouts.
Enjoy the Vacation! Thanks for making the videos, they are perfect for watching when I want to relax, which makes me a bit guilty knowing they are burning you out! Just wanted to let you know I appreciate the work you're doing.
I've done design work for a diamond art company. It's a great hobby and a natural fit for jigsaw puzzlers. Thanks for the introduction to Le Puzz. I actually love the close-up salad. Ooh, and Puzzlelove. And Piecework! I'm glad you're taking the time off you need. Enjoy your vacation!
It feels weird that I am comforted by your burn out. Like, "where does she get this endless zest for life? Am I doing something wrong? I'm dying over here."
Have a great vacation and always remember to take care of yourself first. I will be missing your videos as they help my mental health alot but i understand. Oh yes and the cloudberries one that you had been looking forward to whould be the one id love to do the most i just love the colors
The gas analogy is exactly how I have felt with my job lately. I hate that you’re feeling this way, about something that you do for fun. I am sorry and that truly sucks. Please take all the time to rest that you need, we’ll be here.
Welcome to the super relaxing (and addictive) hobby that is diamond painting! I used to do SO many puzzles but having young kiddos made that difficult, and diamond painting definitely makes that same part of my brain happy - keeping your hands busy and freeing up your mind. I’ve been following your channel for a year or two and was SO thrilled to see you share you’ve discovered diamond painting! DAC makes the absolute best quality kits out there so you’re starting with a fabulous company right out the gate. Hope you continue to adore the craft! ☺️
Karen, I applaud you for taking care of yourself. I sometimes find it challenging to do self-care, Enjoy that VACATION!!! The puzzles I would like to do: - The Le Puzz look like a lot of fun! I would do the 500-pc one. - PuzzleLove too look awesome. I liked the Tessellate. -Tania Wicks puzzles -- macarons - Rifle Paper Co,, US map -- reminds me of one I had as a kid. Each state was a single piece (except for a few small ones like RI & DE:) - Piecework: coffee mugs, Life of the Party, Feeling Flushed Love the images but some look too challenging yet (flowers). - Cloudberries zodiac (looks like a lot of fun)
Thank you Karen for your great video as always , you have given me a new hobby I have started puzzling since watching some of your you tube videos. Have a good break with your family
Diamond Painting is so relaxing. My friend showed me some of her paintings and I was hooked. This holiday season? Everyone will get a sparkly present .
So glad you found DAC and Diamond Painting. It’s a great relaxing hobby that I have enjoyed for 3 years. It’s a nice break between my other hobbies like puzzling, legos, reading, and crocheting 🥰
Thank you so much for being open and transparent about the stress that YT means. It affects people so much and the algorithm does not care about breaks for the creators.
I recommend the book “do nothing”. At the core of your being you are a human, please take time to just be a human and not let productivity and hustle culture get to your head (easier said than done) please enjoy your life and don’t push yourself too hard
Thanks for sharing! I'm feeling burned out atm and honestly I can't remember how I got out of one last time. Things just feel so overwhelming still. What do you think helped you?
I appreciate the sentiment, but unfortunately the algorithm does stop recommending my videos the longer I go without posting, so a lot of people just don't know when I do start posting again. And since this is my full-time job, there are a lot of things I need to balance 😣
Keep being you ❤️ we just appreciate you sharing what you love. And it’s no fun for us as viewers if you’re not enjoying yourself. You deserve to take time for yourself 🥰
Vacation! I'm so glad that you felt able to share how burnt out you are. It's so important to take care of our bodies and our mental health, but all too often people get so caught up in wanting to get just one more task done, or one more project, that we often neglect our own health and well being in the process. I just discovered you this summer, and you have definitely helped me to improve my puzzling, and have introduced me to a world of puzzles I never knew existed. Right before you posted this video I told my husband that I would love for you to do a video about the current Cloudberries puzzle I'm doing, Chromatic, and I was absolutely delighted when I saw that not only was it included in your video but one of your favorite puzzles of the year! It's because of you that I now own a few Cloudberries puzzles, and I love all of them so much. Anyway, I hope you have an amazing vacation and are able to really focus on your own well being this month. Taking care of yourself first is so important! I wish for you a super relaxing and renewing September.
I love that you are getting into diamond painting. I too do diamond painting and puzzles . What’s fun is finding puzzles and diamond Art from the same artist. I’m thinking of completing both and then hanging them together in my crafting room.
Never feel guilty for taking a well needed break! Talking from experience; be careful to not push yourself so far that the joy you have for puzzles becomes a chore. It can destroy the love you have for puzzle and give you anxiety instead. I don't expect videos on a regular basis, I would rather you take your time and keep the joy for puzzleing. I would expect that moste of the people on here would agree. We rather get fewer videos over a longer time than you burning out and get non.
Your channel is wonderful. The content, the production quality and your personality all make your videos a joy to watch, not to mention the enjoyment of puzzles that you and your audience have in common. Take all the time you need, because you will return with a fresh perspective. You've already done so much.
not me watching the DAC sponsorship while working on a DAC kit! Love their kits and have been doing them for a few years and nice to see that they're reaching out to non-traditional diamond painting TH-camrs as well!
I've been hitting a big burn-out phase myself. My mind and body have been just craving for a break and to do something different. It's great to see you being mindful of that and taking care of your needs! I wish these social media platforms would be more forgiving and supportive about that. But I'm glad you are taking steps to recover! I hope you have some fantastic time off! :)
Karen I have been watching you for years. You got me back into puzzling and encouraged me to start a puzzle club at my school. Listening to your body and mind is always okay with me. I don't want my entertainment and joy to come at your expense! I want you to have just as much fun doing the puzzles as I get while watching them! Thank you Karen for being such an awesome creator and I can't wait to see you in October 🎃 I'll be patiently waiting! (P.S. When I want to decompress, I always like to spend time with my family so make sure you ask for a lot of hugs!)
As a Brit, absolute spit-take at the casual "and then I met up with my friend Tom" and panning up to national treasure Tom Scott like it's no big deal 😂 It's always fun when your internet fandoms/fave TH-camrs turn out to actually know each other and hang out (instead of just the 'collabs' of the late 2010s which felt like complete strangers filming things for the views) Take care of yourself, Karen! Maybe I can use your break to catch up on four years of back-catalogue (instead of watching the puzzle competition videos for the hundredth time while I'm at work)
I’m glad that you’re taking some time off - you deserve a VACATION! And absolutely don’t feel guilty. Just enjoy! By the way, I really like all these jigsaw puzzle brands. I have a ton of eeBoo puzzles already (love them!), but I need to get my hands on Le Puzz! I had my eye on this brand for a while, but sadly the international delivery to the UK is sooo expensive. Maybe one day… In the meantime I’m waiting for my new puzzle from Soonness, glad to see it’s on your 5 star list. ❤️
So cool you are showing a Diamond Art Club painting!! I love Diamond Painting! Always rotating diamond painting, jigsaw puzzles, cross stitching, as well as reading, reviewing and blogging. Next month I am adding miniatures to my queue. And my diamond painting for November is Train of Dreams by Randal Spangler. It is 173 x 46 cm, taller than me. Lastly, I have Moonlight in my queue as well. Can I add too that I added jigsaw puzzles to my TH-cam channel, just trying to figure out my camera angle.
Taking breaks is super important and I’m glad you’re able to take a well-needed vacation! Thanks for talking about burnout too - I know a lot of creators experience it and I think taking breaks should be a normal thing for creators.
Vacation: I'm so glad that you're taking time off to just rest and be with your family - it's so important to take care of yourself. Never feel guilty about trying to "keep up" with the TH-cam end of things - I personally would much rather see a new video once a fortnight or once a month than have you exhausting yourself to do them weekly. Remember, it's all about fun and joy and guilt is an empty emotion - it doesn't help in any way. Love you Karen and be well! 🥰🧩
One of my favorite quotes is "Even a steel ship needs maintenance". Well, we are none of us steel ships, are we? We living beings need maintenance a lot more than a big hunk of metal! I hope your break is everything you could hope for, and that it refuels you in every way.
I can absolutely understand your feeling burned out, Karen. Making a living as an independent creator is a hard gig! I’m glad that you’ve made the decision to take a month off to rest, recharge, and “unrumple” (as I call it for myself). I hope you have a truly wonderful vacation, and we’ll look forward to seeing you back, bright eyed and bushy tailed, in October! PS It was great to hear about Tanya Wicks as an Australian puzzle producer - even aside from the cost factor, some of the American puzzle brands won’t even ship to Australia, so it’s always good to be able to support local puzzle artist. 💚🐨💛
I'm really glad you're giving yourself a break, Karen, because I love watching your videos, and would like to continue to do so for some time yet. Looking after your health and wellbeing is an essential, not a luxury! We internet puzzle geeks will still be here when you get back. I did that Green Cloudberries puzzle without looking at the box (as I usually do), and once I got into it I was able to attach all of the objects to each other, but you definitely need a big table to do it that way, because almost everything was in the wrong place initially and moved around a lot! I had fun with all the textures, though, so much so that shortly after I bought and did the Red one, too.
Hi Karen, You are very brave to talk about mental health. Recognizing there is a problem is a very big first step. Talking about it with others is a second big step. Next step is to stop feeling guilty. Take the time you need, starting with September. When planning the rest of the year doesn't feel right, stop planning. Your body will tell you what and when you can do certain things. This difficult period will pass, and you will come out much stronger and more confident. I'm talking from my own experience: Burned out in 2018, and found the energy back in 2019-2020 to create one of the most popular online chess courses (as an amateur!) with 6,000+ satisfied students! Take care, Raf
I've seen many solo creators go through the exact same thing with a weekly upload schedule, it's an incredible amount of work for just one person! I can say with confidence that it has never bothered me to see them upload less, I will always prioritize your health and enjoy whatever does get released 😊
I hope this doesn't come off like advice, but PLEASE take all the time you need. I've never been upset about a creator posting infrequently. I just get happy when I see them show up in my feed! I think a lot of us feel the same way - weekly uploads are sweet, but biweekly or monthly uploads that don't kill the creator are even sweeter. Take care of yourself!! And have a great break ❤
Another amazing video Karen! And thank you for being vulnerable, loved hearing about your life update and I am happy that you are taking a break with your family. We don't expect you to release videos every week- please take time to create fun projects and we will wait for you! Thank you for all your hard work and providing such fun contents to the puzzle community. Also wow! I can't believe Marching Spring is one of the puzzles that hit 5 stars. Hoorraay!
I actually stopped doing diamond art which I do love ,to do more of my jigsaws which relaxes me as much as diamond art . Good on you Karen you are tops!
Enjoy your vacation, Karen! I need to take some time off too, I've been putting it off since my work has been so busy! Luckily I just about finished a big project before this long weekend started so I can properly enjoy my time off without thinking about it :) I really need to check out Le Puzz, I LOVE large pieces, random cuts, and colourful images! That's like, the golden trifecta for me. I'm also very intrigued by that Tessellate puzzle.
Take a break! Take care of yourself :) you’ve inspired me to begin puzzleing again and I’ve been really enjoying it! A video idea for the future: review puzzle subscriptions!
My mom has always loved jigsaw puzzles, but I never did. In 2020, my roommate did a puzzle and I thought I should give them another chance. I really enjoyed it. Then right after I found your channel. Over the last 2 years I have super grown a love of puzzles and now have a puzzle cabinet, mostly due to you. My mom also enjoys that she has another puzzle buddy now. Also, I got my degree in graphic design too! Anyways, wanted to share a thank you for what you do. And enjoy your rest whenever you need it!
I agree about the diamond painting. My 1st hobby is puzzling but I found Diamond art club back in March and I love it! Of course I still puzzle but DAC is what I've been mostly working on lately
please take care of yourself! we love your puzzle videos but your health is always more important than videos! I'm glad puzzle therapy still helps you and diamond painting is a great way to relax - I personally prefer cross-stitching over diamond painting bc I am a klutz and I lose all the little diamonds everywhere, but it's the same idea. the puzzles in this video are beautiful and look very relaxing! as a Dutchie I have to say the Amsterdam puzzle is one of the better ones, but the Cloudberries Chromatic puzzle looks more fun to me and I'd absolutely love that one. I'm currently on vacation myself but I brought a lot of creative projects with me and, ngl, I am a little overwhelmed and burned out on a few of them too. my plan rn is to finish one, shelve the rest for a bit, and get back to them later. I guess we'll see how that goes.
Having around a years of content is a pretty sweet thing to have in your back pocket. Oppressive, but it’s always a great safety net. Been binging your videos all week and I’m loving every second
You do so much for us out here...please take all the time you need. It's really important (and possible) to grow through this instead of burning out. This is what life is 💙 enjoy your VACATION!
Diamond painting is a great de-stressor and addictive. I've been doing it since January of this year so compared to other people, I'm still a bit of a rookie. It's very relaxing. It'll be a nice break for you and you can work at your pace. Yours is very pretty. Love the Tessellate puzzle; reminds me of a quilt. Enjoy your vacation. Safe travels.
Karen, i know this video is a few months old and i can't speak for everyone but I love your content and will always support your channel. Self care is so important. ❤️
I bought the chromatic puzzle when my favorite game and puzzle store warned about maybe closing when lockdowns happened. I wanted to support them and still wanted to try out a cloudberries puzzle because of your recommendations. You also inspired me to start my own puzzle insta. You are doing amazing. And to be able to do that you need rest and vacation. Enjoy your time with family, and hopefully you can forget about youtube for a couple of hours ;)
Enjoy your vacation! And thanks for being real with us! To echo some other comments, hearing updates that talk about burnout and being exhausted even doing something you love, helps all of us to calibrate our sense of what are normal cycles for people to go through and feel more ok with when we are at those points too!
Have a great vacation, it's well deserved! I gotta say - Tanya's puzzle pallete of colors is something lovely to stare at! It's great to see so many companies doing beautiful puzzles.
Enjoy your vacation!!! It is so important to make sure to have good work life balance and take breaks when you're starting to get burned out. Thank you for all of your videos, they are so fun and interesting!
I loved seeing Tania's puzzle! I immediately recognised her work & own some of her puzzles. Stoked to see a small Australian business making it's way over to you & you loving it!
So glad you're letting yourself have a vacation! Burn-out is so hard to recover from, -wishing you the best with your break and hoping the rest of the year can be gentler on you.
Thank you for being open about your burnout; I wish the best for you with the load of work you have ahead. Your passion and hard work definitely show in the quality of your videos and you seem like such a sweet and funny person, I really enjoy watching your content! I just love your enthusiasm toward puzzles! The vacation is well deserved as well as more down the line since these videos require so much time and industry. Hope you feel better from the time off!
Thank you so much for sharing your 5 star puzzles! I’d bought the Spring March puzzle after watching your Sooness gradient puzzle video, but have been saving it as a reward for after moving. Now I’m even more excited for it
Enjoy your well-deserved vacation! Relaxed people make the most relaxing content. Also, I did Chromatic by Cloudberries about a month ago, after getting that and some gradient puzzles from them based on your reviews. I absolutely LOVED the experience, and I'm glad to see that it made your short list of 5-star puzzles. It's great to find someone with such similar puzzle taste, because I can always trust your recommendations. My family has picked up on the fact that I'm doing puzzles, but not quite what quality I look for. My dad sent me a 8"x10" 120 piece puzzle that had huge gaps between each piece, and the art was dark and blurry. I was like... thanks for thinking of me dad! I love you so much, but also this puzzle was trash garbage.
We'll miss your puzzle content while you're on vacation but we totally understand why you would need a break. Just watching your break down videos of the puzzle competition gave me video editing nightmares! :) I can only imagine how much work they took to make! Thanks for all you do for the puzzling world and can't wait to see what's up for October! (And I would do all of those beautiful puzzles!)
I'm here for the karen boundaries! Please take all the time you need, and always make content you are proud of! The nerd content is what I'm here for, plus that nerdy personality too!
I'm sitting here starting my 2nd ever diamond painting when you started talking about a new hobby and I said to myself, "I wonder if it's diamond painting?", and it was! How cool is that?
YT is a burnout maker. Tons of ppl fall into the same trap as you are in now. You're a great person who loves what she does and also wants to make us happy too. No advice forthcoming other than put yourself first. Without you, there is no channel. And time isn't ending next week. You can do all the stuff you want. But you definitely don't have to cram it into a month or two. We will be here no matter what. ❤
I have been puzzling and coloring since I was a little girl. My sister and I discovered Diamond Painting Art about 4 or 5 years ago and we are obsessed 😍
Hi Karen, I just wanted to say thank you for your videos. My mental health hasn’t been good the last 2 months and I took some time off work. During that time I found your channel and binged almost every video! I’ve been doing puzzles and it’s been so helpful for my mental health. Thanks for your videos and please prioritize yourself (like I did!) and take a break!
Take time for you and have a good vacation! Health, mental and physical, is so important and it tends to catch up with you to force a break when you least want it if you don't take a break voluntarily. We'll be here when you return. :)
It was nice looking at all those puzzles and I really enjoyed the pictures of your 5 star puzzle reviews! It was even more interesting hearing you talk about your plans and schedules because it gives me an insight as to what projects you would like to do. But the most interesting part was listening to how you plan for videos and have a set upload schedule because as someone who has difficulty with long term planning, listening to you talk about things that has happened (for example in January) and things that will happen (for example in October) surprises me because it isn’t easy/ natural for me to come up with all of these schedules and stick to them. I’m not sure if you know about MBTI but you’re definitely a “J” type. (Also, just a guess, but you might be an INTJ) Thank you for the fun video and I hope you enjoy your break!!
My Mum introduced me 2 Diamond Puzzles just over 3 years ago and they came in handy during lockdown done all different ones from Lord Of The Rings, Harry Potter, Titanic and other movie ones, large landscapes and star signs as well as a bunch of others. Although i don't have as many of them as i do actual puzzles which i have gotten more of then i thought over the years which is becoming clear as i pack up my house that i've been in for 10 years. With Diamond Puzzles although they take longer i recommend getting the largest size available so you can see the details cause for instance i have 2 copies of the same Lord Of Rings The Gates of Argonath or The Pillars of Kings where they are in the boats on the river going up 2 them the first copy would of been 1 of the first 5 i did and small sized can only just see them in the boats the 2nd 1 i got the largest size available and you can see everything clearly. Oh and seal them with Mod Podge or similar product when finished
You really deserved a vacation Karen. Thank you for bringing all the beautiful puzzle companies to us and letting us watch you and get inspired by you.
I haven’t finished the video yet but I just wanted to say that it brings pure joy to my heart to see you just being you! You have such a dedication to being yourself and also such a beautiful eye for aesthetics which comes across so well in your videos. You are truly a Gem and I’m so glad I found your page. The time and effort you put into your video does not go unnoticed, and your infectious giggle/laugh brightens my day every time! You are most certainly a bright light and we are all blessed that you dedicate your time to sharing your light with us. You inspire me so much to just be authentically me without apologizing. Karen, I hope your days are filled with as much relaxation as you need because you truly are a QUEEN and deserve to treat yourself like ROYALTY. ❤😊
I hope you all don't mind me getting vulnerable and talking about how I've actually been feeling lately. I'm just glad that I have all of these beautiful puzzles to do when I do need to take a break from filming and editing. If you want to get any of them yourself, make sure to open the description for all of the links ❤
You've created a nice community of people here who care! You can always share 🥰
I love you Karen! ❤️
Oh my goodness, of course not!
Take breaks! We will still be here
Take as long a brake as you need! Wish I'd done that before I was severely burned out. If you don't stop in time it can take so many years to come back - it's not just worth it. Take care, we'll still be here when you come back.
You have nothing to be feeling guilty about. I’ve been enjoying your treasure trove of a TH-cam channel and I am so grateful for all the work you put in. You are under no obligation to keep to any schedule just to keep your audience entertained. You are your own person and we love you.
For me, your videos are like rainbows. I don't expect them, but I am grateful whenever I see one!
As someone with a Burnout Badge, I want to say that we’re always rooting for you and we hope you see more success and happiness in life than you already have.
Dear Karen, i believe that you love puzzles and making videos and we love watching them. But! Your happiness and well-being should always come first. As i especially love your bubbly and positiv personality, i would really be worried if you would overwork for the sake of your videos. Please take care, i can say at least for myself that i ll be here, when you want to publish your wonderful videos. But if you need recovery or a break, i hope that you will always put yourself first ❤️❤️❤️
So good to see that you're taking time off! I have the feeling that currently there a lot of people secretly or not-so-secretly burnt-out. You (and everyone else) being vulnerable about that hopefully also helps other people reflect on their lives. It's best to slow down before our body demands us to stop :)
Part of what caused me to be ok doing this is the My Favorite Murder hosts talking about why they would take a month-long break in the summer, so I hope I can continue that chain moving forward.
I've been through burnout three or four times as an independent architect (now a 22 year career) and yes, in jigsaw-puzzles. The last time was after the World Jigsaw Championship 2022, I just couldn't touch a piece after this event, partially due to a bad result at the individual competition. Nearly 20 tournaments in a year made this, too, and of course, a huge amount of videos for my TH-cam channel and leading a Spanish puzzle magazine. Both things nearly are a second job!
I understand completely your decision and if you want to take a month or more rest, you can do what you want!
Talking about the haters, I've not seen any bad comments here (sure you deleted them before), but haters are gonna happen everytime, with everyone. They are just poor persons that just envy people that have achieved something good.
Vacations are a must! And I think you will find that the audience is all here when you get back. People like me are still finding your videos and have plenty to watch.
Burnout is so pervasive but under-acknowledged and treated as a moral failure rather than a hazard of working so intensely. Take care of yourself and feel better. And please enjoy your vacation! take the time to recharge properly.
Thank you for describing what I have not been able to: that it is seen as a “moral failure”. I’m going to use this from now on.
I have always loved puzzles but ever since I discovered your channel I love them even more
I love to hear that!
I just got into watching your videos a few weeks back and it really has reignited my love for puzzles. There was a big chunk of my life where I just didn't have the time or space or money to do puzzles but now that I can I'm really enjoying it again. Thank you for doing this
Vacation! I'm so glad you are taking a break. As we say in my family "put your own mask on first ", which we got from the airlines. You provide so much fun and comfort, please get some for yourself. Not sure I would have made it thru the pandemic (so far) without you (and puzzling). 💗
So funny that you are the opposite of me. I have been diamond painting for 4 years now and a total of 60 pieces. I do jigsaw puzzles to take a break from them. I got my mom hooked on them too. I never did a DAC until this year when my mom gifted me a few of hers. I can see why they are very name brand in the diamond painting industry ( I buy cheap off aliexpress or dollar stores or make my own). Glad you are taking a much needed 'You' time. My husband is the same way with his business and I had to force a vacation on him in August too. I will continue to watch when you return. No worries.
Welcome to Dimond painting and DAC Karen! I've been DPing since late 2020 and I'm up to almost 90 canvases stashed to be done. It's the absolute best hobby and I was so excited when I saw they were your sponsor
I've genuinely been loving it! I started this first one with a GIANT canvas and I'm determined to finish it haha
I like Malung them… but what to do with de finished pieces
@@Blom2021 I usually frame them and hang them either in my home or my classroom. I've given away a few as well.
.... DPing is maybe not the best term 😅😂
@@sianmilne4879 that is the term the entire community uses.
Beautiful puzzles! Thank you for sharing them. We all go through burnout at some point. Your idea to recoup is right on. Take a long vacation, don't fret about tasks that will still be there when you get back. Looking forward to seeing you in October or thereabouts.
Enjoy the Vacation! Thanks for making the videos, they are perfect for watching when I want to relax, which makes me a bit guilty knowing they are burning you out! Just wanted to let you know I appreciate the work you're doing.
I've done design work for a diamond art company. It's a great hobby and a natural fit for jigsaw puzzlers. Thanks for the introduction to Le Puzz. I actually love the close-up salad. Ooh, and Puzzlelove. And Piecework! I'm glad you're taking the time off you need. Enjoy your vacation!
It feels weird that I am comforted by your burn out. Like, "where does she get this endless zest for life? Am I doing something wrong? I'm dying over here."
Have a great vacation and always remember to take care of yourself first. I will be missing your videos as they help my mental health alot but i understand. Oh yes and the cloudberries one that you had been looking forward to whould be the one id love to do the most i just love the colors
The gas analogy is exactly how I have felt with my job lately. I hate that you’re feeling this way, about something that you do for fun. I am sorry and that truly sucks. Please take all the time to rest that you need, we’ll be here.
Enjoy your vacation! You have so much content to go back and enjoy until the next one.
I love the tesselate and florescence company puzzles. So pretty.
Welcome to the super relaxing (and addictive) hobby that is diamond painting! I used to do SO many puzzles but having young kiddos made that difficult, and diamond painting definitely makes that same part of my brain happy - keeping your hands busy and freeing up your mind. I’ve been following your channel for a year or two and was SO thrilled to see you share you’ve discovered diamond painting! DAC makes the absolute best quality kits out there so you’re starting with a fabulous company right out the gate. Hope you continue to adore the craft! ☺️
Karen, I applaud you for taking care of yourself. I sometimes find it challenging to do self-care, Enjoy that VACATION!!!
The puzzles I would like to do:
- The Le Puzz look like a lot of fun! I would do the 500-pc one.
- PuzzleLove too look awesome. I liked the Tessellate.
-Tania Wicks puzzles -- macarons
- Rifle Paper Co,, US map -- reminds me of one I had as a kid. Each state was a single piece (except for a few small ones like RI & DE:)
- Piecework: coffee mugs, Life of the Party, Feeling Flushed
Love the images but some look too challenging yet (flowers).
- Cloudberries zodiac (looks like a lot of fun)
Thank you Karen for your great video as always , you have given me a new hobby I have started puzzling since watching some of your you tube videos. Have a good break with your family
when I'm tired and feeling not myself, I start quilting. everyone needs that special something to lift your spirit.
Diamond Painting is so relaxing. My friend showed me some of her paintings and I was hooked. This holiday season? Everyone will get a sparkly present .
So glad you are taking a break everyone needs time to decompress. :) Enjoy your family and vacation! We'll all be here when you come back. :)
So glad you found DAC and Diamond Painting. It’s a great relaxing hobby that I have enjoyed for 3 years. It’s a nice break between my other hobbies like puzzling, legos, reading, and crocheting 🥰
So happy you are taking a break! Enjoy your time off and don't feel guilty about it.
Thank you so much for being open and transparent about the stress that YT means. It affects people so much and the algorithm does not care about breaks for the creators.
I recommend the book “do nothing”. At the core of your being you are a human, please take time to just be a human and not let productivity and hustle culture get to your head (easier said than done) please enjoy your life and don’t push yourself too hard
Thanks for sharing!
I'm feeling burned out atm and honestly I can't remember how I got out of one last time. Things just feel so overwhelming still.
What do you think helped you?
Don't overwork yourself! Its always okay to take a break! We'll still be here when you get back!
I appreciate the sentiment, but unfortunately the algorithm does stop recommending my videos the longer I go without posting, so a lot of people just don't know when I do start posting again. And since this is my full-time job, there are a lot of things I need to balance 😣
Keep being you ❤️ we just appreciate you sharing what you love. And it’s no fun for us as viewers if you’re not enjoying yourself. You deserve to take time for yourself 🥰
Vacation!
I'm so glad that you felt able to share how burnt out you are. It's so important to take care of our bodies and our mental health, but all too often people get so caught up in wanting to get just one more task done, or one more project, that we often neglect our own health and well being in the process. I just discovered you this summer, and you have definitely helped me to improve my puzzling, and have introduced me to a world of puzzles I never knew existed. Right before you posted this video I told my husband that I would love for you to do a video about the current Cloudberries puzzle I'm doing, Chromatic, and I was absolutely delighted when I saw that not only was it included in your video but one of your favorite puzzles of the year! It's because of you that I now own a few Cloudberries puzzles, and I love all of them so much. Anyway, I hope you have an amazing vacation and are able to really focus on your own well being this month. Taking care of yourself first is so important! I wish for you a super relaxing and renewing September.
I love that you are getting into diamond painting. I too do diamond painting and puzzles . What’s fun is finding puzzles and diamond Art from the same artist. I’m thinking of completing both and then hanging them together in my crafting room.
Never feel guilty for taking a well needed break! Talking from experience; be careful to not push yourself so far that the joy you have for puzzles becomes a chore. It can destroy the love you have for puzzle and give you anxiety instead. I don't expect videos on a regular basis, I would rather you take your time and keep the joy for puzzleing. I would expect that moste of the people on here would agree. We rather get fewer videos over a longer time than you burning out and get non.
Your channel is wonderful. The content, the production quality and your personality all make your videos a joy to watch, not to mention the enjoyment of puzzles that you and your audience have in common. Take all the time you need, because you will return with a fresh perspective. You've already done so much.
not me watching the DAC sponsorship while working on a DAC kit! Love their kits and have been doing them for a few years and nice to see that they're reaching out to non-traditional diamond painting TH-camrs as well!
I've been hitting a big burn-out phase myself. My mind and body have been just craving for a break and to do something different. It's great to see you being mindful of that and taking care of your needs! I wish these social media platforms would be more forgiving and supportive about that. But I'm glad you are taking steps to recover! I hope you have some fantastic time off! :)
Glad that you’re taking a break. I know the TH-cam algorithm sucks but we’ll still be here when you come back.
I love Diamond Art Club! Their canvasses and drills are high quality and if you ever run into any problems, their customer service is great.
Good job listening to your body and energy levels and doing what is needed. Burn out is real and awful. Enjoy your relaxing VACATION!
Karen I have been watching you for years. You got me back into puzzling and encouraged me to start a puzzle club at my school. Listening to your body and mind is always okay with me. I don't want my entertainment and joy to come at your expense! I want you to have just as much fun doing the puzzles as I get while watching them! Thank you Karen for being such an awesome creator and I can't wait to see you in October 🎃 I'll be patiently waiting! (P.S. When I want to decompress, I always like to spend time with my family so make sure you ask for a lot of hugs!)
I love your videos and I’m glad you’re taking a break!!
As a Brit, absolute spit-take at the casual "and then I met up with my friend Tom" and panning up to national treasure Tom Scott like it's no big deal 😂 It's always fun when your internet fandoms/fave TH-camrs turn out to actually know each other and hang out (instead of just the 'collabs' of the late 2010s which felt like complete strangers filming things for the views)
Take care of yourself, Karen! Maybe I can use your break to catch up on four years of back-catalogue (instead of watching the puzzle competition videos for the hundredth time while I'm at work)
We met at VidCon before I had seen any of his videos, and he's been such a great friend to have in this community over the past few years.
I also did a spit take about Tom!!
Im American and I had to double take at that shot I just watch a lot of his videos cause I'm into the a lot of the nerdy stuff he chooses for topics
I am quite obsessed with Tom and when I saw that shot I think my jaw was on the ground.
I too was shocked to see his face in this video 😂
This video was very helpful in deciding which puzzles I want to buy next. Take good care of yourself!
I’m glad that you’re taking some time off - you deserve a VACATION! And absolutely don’t feel guilty. Just enjoy!
By the way, I really like all these jigsaw puzzle brands. I have a ton of eeBoo puzzles already (love them!), but I need to get my hands on Le Puzz! I had my eye on this brand for a while, but sadly the international delivery to the UK is sooo expensive. Maybe one day… In the meantime I’m waiting for my new puzzle from Soonness, glad to see it’s on your 5 star list. ❤️
So cool you are showing a Diamond Art Club painting!! I love Diamond Painting! Always rotating diamond painting, jigsaw puzzles, cross stitching, as well as reading, reviewing and blogging. Next month I am adding miniatures to my queue. And my diamond painting for November is Train of Dreams by Randal Spangler. It is 173 x 46 cm, taller than me. Lastly, I have Moonlight in my queue as well. Can I add too that I added jigsaw puzzles to my TH-cam channel, just trying to figure out my camera angle.
Thank you for sharing your struggles and I hope you enjoy your *vacation* time :) Also, now I have many more puzzles added to my wish list hehe
Taking breaks is super important and I’m glad you’re able to take a well-needed vacation! Thanks for talking about burnout too - I know a lot of creators experience it and I think taking breaks should be a normal thing for creators.
I accidentally pressed dislike, sorry!
I clicked thumbs up.
Vacation: I'm so glad that you're taking time off to just rest and be with your family - it's so important to take care of yourself. Never feel guilty about trying to "keep up" with the TH-cam end of things - I personally would much rather see a new video once a fortnight or once a month than have you exhausting yourself to do them weekly. Remember, it's all about fun and joy and guilt is an empty emotion - it doesn't help in any way. Love you Karen and be well! 🥰🧩
One of my favorite quotes is "Even a steel ship needs maintenance". Well, we are none of us steel ships, are we? We living beings need maintenance a lot more than a big hunk of metal! I hope your break is everything you could hope for, and that it refuels you in every way.
I can absolutely understand your feeling burned out, Karen. Making a living as an independent creator is a hard gig! I’m glad that you’ve made the decision to take a month off to rest, recharge, and “unrumple” (as I call it for myself). I hope you have a truly wonderful vacation, and we’ll look forward to seeing you back, bright eyed and bushy tailed, in October! PS It was great to hear about Tanya Wicks as an Australian puzzle producer - even aside from the cost factor, some of the American puzzle brands won’t even ship to Australia, so it’s always good to be able to support local puzzle artist. 💚🐨💛
Puzzlelove is my friends brand and they also ship to Australia, she is Australian!
@@caitlinmulhall7366 Great to know, thanks!
I'm really glad you're giving yourself a break, Karen, because I love watching your videos, and would like to continue to do so for some time yet. Looking after your health and wellbeing is an essential, not a luxury! We internet puzzle geeks will still be here when you get back.
I did that Green Cloudberries puzzle without looking at the box (as I usually do), and once I got into it I was able to attach all of the objects to each other, but you definitely need a big table to do it that way, because almost everything was in the wrong place initially and moved around a lot! I had fun with all the textures, though, so much so that shortly after I bought and did the Red one, too.
Hi Karen, You are very brave to talk about mental health. Recognizing there is a problem is a very big first step. Talking about it with others is a second big step. Next step is to stop feeling guilty. Take the time you need, starting with September. When planning the rest of the year doesn't feel right, stop planning. Your body will tell you what and when you can do certain things. This difficult period will pass, and you will come out much stronger and more confident. I'm talking from my own experience: Burned out in 2018, and found the energy back in 2019-2020 to create one of the most popular online chess courses (as an amateur!) with 6,000+ satisfied students! Take care, Raf
I am obsessed with Cloudberries now! The quality is sooo good and the little click it makes when you put a piece in is so satisfying!
I've seen many solo creators go through the exact same thing with a weekly upload schedule, it's an incredible amount of work for just one person! I can say with confidence that it has never bothered me to see them upload less, I will always prioritize your health and enjoy whatever does get released 😊
I hope this doesn't come off like advice, but PLEASE take all the time you need. I've never been upset about a creator posting infrequently. I just get happy when I see them show up in my feed! I think a lot of us feel the same way - weekly uploads are sweet, but biweekly or monthly uploads that don't kill the creator are even sweeter. Take care of yourself!! And have a great break ❤
Another amazing video Karen!
And thank you for being vulnerable, loved hearing about your life update and I am happy that you are taking a break with your family. We don't expect you to release videos every week- please take time to create fun projects and we will wait for you! Thank you for all your hard work and providing such fun contents to the puzzle community. Also wow! I can't believe Marching Spring is one of the puzzles that hit 5 stars. Hoorraay!
I actually stopped doing diamond art which I do love ,to do more of my jigsaws which relaxes me as much as diamond art . Good on you Karen you are tops!
Enjoy your vacation, Karen! I need to take some time off too, I've been putting it off since my work has been so busy! Luckily I just about finished a big project before this long weekend started so I can properly enjoy my time off without thinking about it :) I really need to check out Le Puzz, I LOVE large pieces, random cuts, and colourful images! That's like, the golden trifecta for me. I'm also very intrigued by that Tessellate puzzle.
Take a break! Take care of yourself :) you’ve inspired me to begin puzzleing again and I’ve been really enjoying it! A video idea for the future: review puzzle subscriptions!
My mom has always loved jigsaw puzzles, but I never did. In 2020, my roommate did a puzzle and I thought I should give them another chance. I really enjoyed it. Then right after I found your channel. Over the last 2 years I have super grown a love of puzzles and now have a puzzle cabinet, mostly due to you. My mom also enjoys that she has another puzzle buddy now. Also, I got my degree in graphic design too! Anyways, wanted to share a thank you for what you do. And enjoy your rest whenever you need it!
I agree about the diamond painting. My 1st hobby is puzzling but I found Diamond art club back in March and I love it! Of course I still puzzle but DAC is what I've been mostly working on lately
please take care of yourself! we love your puzzle videos but your health is always more important than videos! I'm glad puzzle therapy still helps you and diamond painting is a great way to relax - I personally prefer cross-stitching over diamond painting bc I am a klutz and I lose all the little diamonds everywhere, but it's the same idea. the puzzles in this video are beautiful and look very relaxing! as a Dutchie I have to say the Amsterdam puzzle is one of the better ones, but the Cloudberries Chromatic puzzle looks more fun to me and I'd absolutely love that one.
I'm currently on vacation myself but I brought a lot of creative projects with me and, ngl, I am a little overwhelmed and burned out on a few of them too. my plan rn is to finish one, shelve the rest for a bit, and get back to them later. I guess we'll see how that goes.
Having around a years of content is a pretty sweet thing to have in your back pocket. Oppressive, but it’s always a great safety net. Been binging your videos all week and I’m loving every second
omg, same! and it’s been a DELIGHT! thank you, Karen ❤️ and enjoy the vacation with the fam!
You do so much for us out here...please take all the time you need. It's really important (and possible) to grow through this instead of burning out. This is what life is 💙 enjoy your VACATION!
Diamond painting is a great de-stressor and addictive. I've been doing it since January of this year so compared to other people, I'm still a bit of a rookie. It's very relaxing. It'll be a nice break for you and you can work at your pace. Yours is very pretty. Love the Tessellate puzzle; reminds me of a quilt. Enjoy your vacation. Safe travels.
Karen, i know this video is a few months old and i can't speak for everyone but I love your content and will always support your channel. Self care is so important. ❤️
I bought the chromatic puzzle when my favorite game and puzzle store warned about maybe closing when lockdowns happened. I wanted to support them and still wanted to try out a cloudberries puzzle because of your recommendations. You also inspired me to start my own puzzle insta.
You are doing amazing. And to be able to do that you need rest and vacation. Enjoy your time with family, and hopefully you can forget about youtube for a couple of hours ;)
I do daimond painting since 5 years or so. I love hearing audiobooks while painting. ^^
Enjoy your vacation! And thanks for being real with us! To echo some other comments, hearing updates that talk about burnout and being exhausted even doing something you love, helps all of us to calibrate our sense of what are normal cycles for people to go through and feel more ok with when we are at those points too!
I strongly believe that no job can be done without some time off, take care during your much needed and deserved break! xx
Have a great vacation, it's well deserved! I gotta say - Tanya's puzzle pallete of colors is something lovely to stare at! It's great to see so many companies doing beautiful puzzles.
i googled every puzzle mentioned and i now have a massive list of new puzzles to buy ❤
Absolutely love Diamond Art Club! So glad you found a new project to work on.
Enjoy your vacation!!! It is so important to make sure to have good work life balance and take breaks when you're starting to get burned out. Thank you for all of your videos, they are so fun and interesting!
I loved seeing Tania's puzzle! I immediately recognised her work & own some of her puzzles. Stoked to see a small Australian business making it's way over to you & you loving it!
So glad you're letting yourself have a vacation! Burn-out is so hard to recover from, -wishing you the best with your break and hoping the rest of the year can be gentler on you.
Great puzzle reviews and the Diamond art club paintings seem so relaxing and satisfying to do. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for being open about your burnout; I wish the best for you with the load of work you have ahead. Your passion and hard work definitely show in the quality of your videos and you seem like such a sweet and funny person, I really enjoy watching your content! I just love your enthusiasm toward puzzles! The vacation is well deserved as well as more down the line since these videos require so much time and industry. Hope you feel better from the time off!
I hope your vacation was as restful and enjoyable as you were hoping it would be. Never feel bad for taking time to recharge and fill up your tank!
Thank you so much for sharing your 5 star puzzles! I’d bought the Spring March puzzle after watching your Sooness gradient puzzle video, but have been saving it as a reward for after moving. Now I’m even more excited for it
Enjoy your well-deserved vacation! Relaxed people make the most relaxing content.
Also, I did Chromatic by Cloudberries about a month ago, after getting that and some gradient puzzles from them based on your reviews. I absolutely LOVED the experience, and I'm glad to see that it made your short list of 5-star puzzles.
It's great to find someone with such similar puzzle taste, because I can always trust your recommendations. My family has picked up on the fact that I'm doing puzzles, but not quite what quality I look for. My dad sent me a 8"x10" 120 piece puzzle that had huge gaps between each piece, and the art was dark and blurry. I was like... thanks for thinking of me dad! I love you so much, but also this puzzle was trash garbage.
Oh no! That sounds awful 😂
We'll miss your puzzle content while you're on vacation but we totally understand why you would need a break. Just watching your break down videos of the puzzle competition gave me video editing nightmares! :) I can only imagine how much work they took to make! Thanks for all you do for the puzzling world and can't wait to see what's up for October! (And I would do all of those beautiful puzzles!)
As a fellow TH-camr in a totally different space, I feel what you’re saying. It takes confidence to step back and assess; glad you are doing that.
I'm here for the karen boundaries! Please take all the time you need, and always make content you are proud of! The nerd content is what I'm here for, plus that nerdy personality too!
I'm sitting here starting my 2nd ever diamond painting when you started talking about a new hobby and I said to myself, "I wonder if it's diamond painting?", and it was! How cool is that?
Glad to hear you are listening to your body and will be taking a vacation! I would love to do the Tesselate puzzle and may just have to get it!
YT is a burnout maker. Tons of ppl fall into the same trap as you are in now. You're a great person who loves what she does and also wants to make us happy too. No advice forthcoming other than put yourself first. Without you, there is no channel. And time isn't ending next week. You can do all the stuff you want. But you definitely don't have to cram it into a month or two. We will be here no matter what. ❤
I have been puzzling and coloring since I was a little girl. My sister and I discovered Diamond Painting Art about 4 or 5 years ago and we are obsessed 😍
That gas station analogy was spot on! Wow!! I feel seen!
I'm so glad you're taking time for yourself! I really hope September is restful for you.
Hi Karen, I just wanted to say thank you for your videos. My mental health hasn’t been good the last 2 months and I took some time off work. During that time I found your channel and binged almost every video! I’ve been doing puzzles and it’s been so helpful for my mental health. Thanks for your videos and please prioritize yourself (like I did!) and take a break!
Thank you so much for what you've done with this channel. This break is so well deserved and I am so happy you're able to take it for yourself!
Take time for you and have a good vacation! Health, mental and physical, is so important and it tends to catch up with you to force a break when you least want it if you don't take a break voluntarily. We'll be here when you return. :)
It was nice looking at all those puzzles and I really enjoyed the pictures of your 5 star puzzle reviews!
It was even more interesting hearing you talk about your plans and schedules because it gives me an insight as to what projects you would like to do.
But the most interesting part was listening to how you plan for videos and have a set upload schedule because as someone who has difficulty with long term planning, listening to you talk about things that has happened (for example in January) and things that will happen (for example in October) surprises me because it isn’t easy/ natural for me to come up with all of these schedules and stick to them.
I’m not sure if you know about MBTI but you’re definitely a “J” type.
(Also, just a guess, but you might be an INTJ)
Thank you for the fun video and I hope you enjoy your break!!
My Mum introduced me 2 Diamond Puzzles just over 3 years ago and they came in handy during lockdown done all different ones from Lord Of The Rings, Harry Potter, Titanic and other movie ones, large landscapes and star signs as well as a bunch of others. Although i don't have as many of them as i do actual puzzles which i have gotten more of then i thought over the years which is becoming clear as i pack up my house that i've been in for 10 years. With Diamond Puzzles although they take longer i recommend getting the largest size available so you can see the details cause for instance i have 2 copies of the same Lord Of Rings The Gates of Argonath or The Pillars of Kings where they are in the boats on the river going up 2 them the first copy would of been 1 of the first 5 i did and small sized can only just see them in the boats the 2nd 1 i got the largest size available and you can see everything clearly. Oh and seal them with Mod Podge or similar product when finished
You really deserved a vacation Karen. Thank you for bringing all the beautiful puzzle companies to us and letting us watch you and get inspired by you.
I haven’t finished the video yet but I just wanted to say that it brings pure joy to my heart to see you just being you! You have such a dedication to being yourself and also such a beautiful eye for aesthetics which comes across so well in your videos.
You are truly a Gem and I’m so glad I found your page. The time and effort you put into your video does not go unnoticed, and your infectious giggle/laugh brightens my day every time!
You are most certainly a bright light and we are all blessed that you dedicate your time to sharing your light with us. You inspire me so much to just be authentically me without apologizing.
Karen, I hope your days are filled with as much relaxation as you need because you truly are a QUEEN and deserve to treat yourself like ROYALTY. ❤😊